them.”
“How well did you know Zoë?” I asked.
He shrugged. “We hung out a couple of times before we all agreed to go through with the process. Artificial insemination. They made me sign an agreement that said I had no custody rights, but that didn’t matter to me. I knew I couldn’t commit to raising the girls. And they were happy to have me be a part of the girls’ lives informally.”
“What about your parents?” Ray asked. “Were they okay with all this?”
Greg nodded. “They know I’m gay and they know the kind of hours I work. The twins’ first year, I’d just come over to the house on the weekends, kind of like babysitting. Sometimes my parents would come, too. Anna and Zoë got some time off that way. When the girls turned two, I started taking them to my house for the weekend, once a month. My parents made a big deal out of Hina-Matsuri , and started a collection of dolls for the girls.”
I turned to Ray. “Hina-Matsuri is a Japanese tradition—Girls’ Day. Drove my mother nuts that she had only boys. She used to give dolls to all my girl cousins.”
“How about if you hold the cultural background ’til Greg finishes?”
“Hey, just saying. Greg?”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. “Everything was going along fine. Then about three months ago, Anna moved out. Since then, everything’s been up in the air. Zoë started making noises like she was going to cut Anna out of the parenting. And once Anna wasn’t in the picture anymore, I knew I’d be next.”
“Are you on the birth certificate?” I asked.
“Yes. But remember, I signed away my rights as part of the donation agreement. Even Anna didn’t have any official standing, because she hadn’t gone through with plans to adopt the twins. Zoë could have taken Sarah and Emily to the mainland, for example, and I’d get to see them once a year, if she let me.”
“You must have been pretty angry about that,” Ray said.
“Not angry enough to kill Zoë.” Greg stopped underneath a palm tree and crossed his arms.
“Where were you Sunday night?” I asked.
“Come on, guys. You don’t think I’m a suspect, do you?”
“Sunday night, Greg,” I said.
He raised his upper lip into a snarl. “I was at home. Alone.”
Ray’s always the one who plays good cop to my bad one, especially around Greg, who still resents me because I can be out and proud and he keeps one foot in the closet. “What do you know about Zoë’s drinking habits?” he asked, shifting the conversation away from any kind of direct accusation. “Beer? Wine? Mixed drinks?”
Greg turned to him. “Drinking?”
Ray nodded. Greg struggled to focus. “When we first started talking about the donation, I’d go over there so we could get to know each other. I’d bring a bottle of wine, and we’d all have a drink or two. Just to lubricate the situation, you know? I mean, it was awkward, at first. To them, I was just a dick on legs. After a while, we got to be friends, sort of. I mean, at least I was part of their lives.”
He took in a deep breath. “Then things got tough between Anna and Zoë, and when I’d go over to pick up the girls, the wine helped us all ignore the problem.” He looked at us. “Never enough for anybody to get drunk, or put the girls in danger, you know. Just social drinking.”
“How about vodka?” I asked. “We found a bottle of vodka in the freezer.”
“That was Anna’s. I guess she didn’t take it when she moved out. Zoë didn’t like mixed drinks. Said she got drunk too fast on them. She didn’t like to lose control.” I could see the reporter in Greg starting to surface. “Are you saying Zoë was drunk when she was killed?”
“There weren’t any wine bottles in the house or the garbage,” I said. “Do you know, was she dating anyone new?”
“We weren’t that close,” he said. “Anna might know.”
I told him we were waiting for a call back from Anna Yang, and he
“How well did you know Zoë?” I asked.
He shrugged. “We hung out a couple of times before we all agreed to go through with the process. Artificial insemination. They made me sign an agreement that said I had no custody rights, but that didn’t matter to me. I knew I couldn’t commit to raising the girls. And they were happy to have me be a part of the girls’ lives informally.”
“What about your parents?” Ray asked. “Were they okay with all this?”
Greg nodded. “They know I’m gay and they know the kind of hours I work. The twins’ first year, I’d just come over to the house on the weekends, kind of like babysitting. Sometimes my parents would come, too. Anna and Zoë got some time off that way. When the girls turned two, I started taking them to my house for the weekend, once a month. My parents made a big deal out of Hina-Matsuri , and started a collection of dolls for the girls.”
I turned to Ray. “Hina-Matsuri is a Japanese tradition—Girls’ Day. Drove my mother nuts that she had only boys. She used to give dolls to all my girl cousins.”
“How about if you hold the cultural background ’til Greg finishes?”
“Hey, just saying. Greg?”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. “Everything was going along fine. Then about three months ago, Anna moved out. Since then, everything’s been up in the air. Zoë started making noises like she was going to cut Anna out of the parenting. And once Anna wasn’t in the picture anymore, I knew I’d be next.”
“Are you on the birth certificate?” I asked.
“Yes. But remember, I signed away my rights as part of the donation agreement. Even Anna didn’t have any official standing, because she hadn’t gone through with plans to adopt the twins. Zoë could have taken Sarah and Emily to the mainland, for example, and I’d get to see them once a year, if she let me.”
“You must have been pretty angry about that,” Ray said.
“Not angry enough to kill Zoë.” Greg stopped underneath a palm tree and crossed his arms.
“Where were you Sunday night?” I asked.
“Come on, guys. You don’t think I’m a suspect, do you?”
“Sunday night, Greg,” I said.
He raised his upper lip into a snarl. “I was at home. Alone.”
Ray’s always the one who plays good cop to my bad one, especially around Greg, who still resents me because I can be out and proud and he keeps one foot in the closet. “What do you know about Zoë’s drinking habits?” he asked, shifting the conversation away from any kind of direct accusation. “Beer? Wine? Mixed drinks?”
Greg turned to him. “Drinking?”
Ray nodded. Greg struggled to focus. “When we first started talking about the donation, I’d go over there so we could get to know each other. I’d bring a bottle of wine, and we’d all have a drink or two. Just to lubricate the situation, you know? I mean, it was awkward, at first. To them, I was just a dick on legs. After a while, we got to be friends, sort of. I mean, at least I was part of their lives.”
He took in a deep breath. “Then things got tough between Anna and Zoë, and when I’d go over to pick up the girls, the wine helped us all ignore the problem.” He looked at us. “Never enough for anybody to get drunk, or put the girls in danger, you know. Just social drinking.”
“How about vodka?” I asked. “We found a bottle of vodka in the freezer.”
“That was Anna’s. I guess she didn’t take it when she moved out. Zoë didn’t like mixed drinks. Said she got drunk too fast on them. She didn’t like to lose control.” I could see the reporter in Greg starting to surface. “Are you saying Zoë was drunk when she was killed?”
“There weren’t any wine bottles in the house or the garbage,” I said. “Do you know, was she dating anyone new?”
“We weren’t that close,” he said. “Anna might know.”
I told him we were waiting for a call back from Anna Yang, and he
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